Forrest Li believes humility and ambition are complementary, not contradictory. By comparing Sea's success to the trillion-dollar valuations of Silicon Valley giants, he maintains humility. This perspective frames current achievements as just the beginning, fueling the company's ambition for far greater growth.
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The idea for Shopee wasn't from market analysis, but from observing his six-year-old daughter's awe at mobile e-commerce in China. He saw it as "magic" when a desired item appeared the next day. This personal, emotional insight convinced him of the immense value proposition for Southeast Asia.
The entrepreneurial journey is a paradox. You must be delusional enough to believe you can succeed where others have failed. Simultaneously, you must be humble enough to accept being "punched in the face" by daily mistakes and bad decisions without losing momentum.
VCs at the highest level don't just write checks; they fundamentally reset a founder's aspirations. By placing a startup in the lineage of giants like Google and Oracle, they shift the goal from building a big business to creating a generational company.
A successful startup often resembles a cult, requiring a leader who communicates their vision with unwavering, first-person conviction. Hiding the founder behind polished PR spokespeople is a mistake; it neuters the contagious belief required to recruit talent and build a movement against impossible odds.
The pace of change in AI means even senior leaders must adopt a learner's mindset. Humility is teachability, and teachability is survivability. Successful leaders are willing to learn from junior colleagues, take basic courses, and admit they don't know everything, which is crucial when there is no established blueprint.
While Sea has five core values, CEO Forrest Li identifies "We stay humble" as the foundational one that enables all others. Drawing inspiration from Steve Jobs' "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish" speech, he believes humility is the prerequisite for learning, adapting, and executing with speed.
After eight years of grinding, the founder recognized he had taken the company as far as his skillset allowed. Instead of clinging to control, he proactively sought an external CEO with the business acumen he lacked, viewing the hire as a "life preserver" to rocket-ship the company's growth.
Bumble's founder believes the initial, all-consuming obsession is critical for getting a startup off the ground. However, this same intensity becomes a liability as the company matures. Leaders must evolve and create distance to gain the perspective needed for long-term growth and to avoid stifling opportunity.
The ambition to be a CEO isn't just about leadership; it's a practical blend of ego, a need for control, and financial motivation. Critically, it stems from a deep-seated belief in one's own judgment and risk appetite, especially during pivotal market shifts that require bold, swift action.
